Red Spy Queen

“Olmsted has done history a great service with this nuanced and credible assessment. Her balanced and scholarly appraisal of Bentley’s career will hold up and be hereafter cited as the most authoritative judgment.” — National Review

“Ms. Olmsted’s biography is one of the most significant works to emerge in McCarthyism studies since the collapse of communism, and it draws on the many secrets that have poured out of the U.S. and Soviet archives in the past dozen years.” — Wall Street Journal

“[This] biography of the woman who ushered in the cold war . . . shows clearly that Bentley told the truth about Soviet espionage in high places. . . . [and] that Bentley was a truly disturbed, and disturbing, woman.” — New York Times Book Review

“As a chronicle of the early years of the Cold War, and as a portrait of a woman who happened to be a spy, this is a revealing and compassionate biography.” — Booklist

“An intelligent, balanced biography. . . . Olmsted’s thoughtful account restores Bentley to her rightful place and gives her all the credit — and blame — she deserves.” — Publishers Weekly

“Olmsted chronicles the rise and fall of a Communist-spy-turned-informer from her early days as an antifascist at Columbia to her Cold War defection to the FBI. . . . A valuable addition to the annals of spy lore.” — Kirkus Reviews

“With access to newly available documents, Olmsted unveils the amazing story of the woman who became first a highly regarded spy for the Soviets and later a major informant for the U.S. government. . . . This original biography about a complex personality is absorbing and well written. . . . An important addition to all academic collections.” — Library Journal

“A Cold War saga of lies, truths, and media sensationalism as dowdy Elizabeth became the 'red spy queen' and a professional anti-Communist.” — Chronicle of Higher Education

“Fascinating. . . . Olmsted’s excellent account points out that some of Bentley’s charges against government officials were true, while others were either exaggerated or simply made up.” — CHOICE

“Olmsted’s thorough and balanced portrayal is as welcome as it is timely. . . . The book is comprehensively researched and reads like a good detective novel.” — Intelligence and National Security